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Science Translational Medicine Nov 2019Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive lung cancer subtype with extremely poor prognosis. No targetable genetic driver events have been identified, and the...
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive lung cancer subtype with extremely poor prognosis. No targetable genetic driver events have been identified, and the treatment landscape for this disease has remained nearly unchanged for over 30 years. Here, we have taken a CRISPR-based screening approach to identify genetic vulnerabilities in SCLC that may serve as potential therapeutic targets. We used a single-guide RNA (sgRNA) library targeting ~5000 genes deemed to encode "druggable" proteins to perform loss-of-function genetic screens in a panel of cell lines derived from autochthonous genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of SCLC, lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Cross-cancer analyses allowed us to identify SCLC-selective vulnerabilities. In particular, we observed enhanced sensitivity of SCLC cells toward disruption of the pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway. Pharmacological inhibition of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), a key enzyme in this pathway, reduced the viability of SCLC cells in vitro and strongly suppressed SCLC tumor growth in human patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models and in an autochthonous mouse model. These results indicate that DHODH inhibition may be an approach to treat SCLC.
Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Animals; Biphenyl Compounds; Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal; Cell Line, Tumor; DCMP Deaminase; Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase; Disease Progression; Enzyme Inhibitors; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Mice; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-CH Group Donors; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Pyrimidines; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma; Survival Analysis; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
PubMed: 31694929
DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaw7852 -
Molecular Pharmacology May 19845-AZA-2'-deoxycytidine-5'-monophosphate (5-AZA-dCMP) was tested as a substrate, and 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine-5'-triphosphate (5-AZA-dCTP) was tested as an allosteric...
5-AZA-2'-deoxycytidine-5'-monophosphate (5-AZA-dCMP) was tested as a substrate, and 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine-5'-triphosphate (5-AZA-dCTP) was tested as an allosteric effector of purified spleen dCMP deaminase. Graphic analysis of the velocity of deamination of 5-AZA-dCMP versus its concentration gave a hyperbolic curve in which the estimated apparent Km was 0.1 mM. Since this curve was not sigmoidal and 5-AZA-dCMP at low concentrations stimulated the rate of deamination of the natural substrate, dCMP, it was proposed that the binding of 5-AZA-dCMP to the allosteric enzyme dCMP deaminase induced the R form. At substrate saturation, the rate of deamination of dCMP was 100-fold greater than that of 5-AZA-dCMP. dTTP inhibited the deamination of 5-AZA-dCMP with first-order kinetics. This inhibition was reversed by either 5-AZA-dCTP or dCTP. However, dCTP alone produced only a weak activation of the deamination of 5-AZA-dCMP in comparison to the potent activation when dCMP was the substrate. 5-AZA-dCTP was just as effective as dCTP for the allosteric activation of the deamination of dCMP. These results indicate that dCMP deaminase can play an important role in the metabolism 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine nucleotides and may possibly modulate some of the pharmacological activity of this antimetabolite.
Topics: Allosteric Regulation; Animals; Azacitidine; Cytidine Triphosphate; Cytosine Nucleotides; DCMP Deaminase; Deoxycytosine Nucleotides; Kinetics; Nucleotide Deaminases; Perissodactyla; Spleen
PubMed: 6203026
DOI: No ID Found -
Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs Apr 2012Nucleoside analogs are widely used for treatment of various malignancies. Benchmark drugs are cytarabine for acute myeloid leukemia and gemcitabine for pancreatic and...
Nucleoside analogs are widely used for treatment of various malignancies. Benchmark drugs are cytarabine for acute myeloid leukemia and gemcitabine for pancreatic and lung cancer. Sapacitabine is a novel cytidine analog currently in development. This editorial focuses on the potential of new nucleoside analogs and on novel possibilities of gemcitabine. Gemcitabine is a nucleoside analog with many faces, which shows a remarkable activity in a variety of cancers, most likely because it has a unique metabolism, a so-called self-potentiation. Gemcitabine is taken up by nucleoside transporters, is activated by deoxycytidine kinase and incorporated into both RNA and DNA. Inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase and dCMP deaminase enhances its activation, while cytidine deaminase converts gemcitabine to its presumably inactive metabolite 2',2'-difluorodeoxyuridine, which in its nucleotide form may inhibit thymidylate synthase. Gemcitabine is widely used in combination, predominantly with a platinum analog, with other combinations less frequently used or being explored. Standard administration of gemcitabine is with a 30-min weekly infusion at 1000 mg/m(2), but alternatives are being explored such as prodrugs (e.g., CO-1.01, which can bypass transport deficiency), the fixed-dose rate infusion (10 mg/m(2)/min), and local routes of administration by a 24-h hepatic artery infusion, by instillation in the bladder or by intraperitoneal administration to treat advanced ovarian cancer. Other alternatives for combinations of gemcitabine in ovarian cancer consist of increasing the inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase with triapine or hydroxyurea. Gemcitabine's action on signaling also provides a rational concept for combination with signal transduction pathways.
Topics: Animals; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; Arabinonucleosides; Cytosine; Deoxycytidine; Humans; Neoplasms; Nucleosides; Gemcitabine
PubMed: 22404148
DOI: 10.1517/13543784.2012.666236 -
Scientific Reports Nov 2023Deoxycytidine analogues (dCas) are widely used for the treatment of malignant diseases. They are commonly inactivated by cytidine deaminase (CDD), or by deoxycytidine...
Deoxycytidine analogues (dCas) are widely used for the treatment of malignant diseases. They are commonly inactivated by cytidine deaminase (CDD), or by deoxycytidine monophosphate deaminase (dCMP deaminase). Additional metabolic pathways, such as phosphorylation, can substantially contribute to their (in)activation. Here, a new technique for the analysis of these pathways in cells is described. It is based on the use of 5-ethynyl 2'-deoxycytidine (EdC) and its conversion to 5-ethynyl 2'-deoxyuridine (EdU). Its use was tested for the estimation of the role of CDD and dCMP deaminase in five cancer and four non-cancer cell lines. The technique provides the possibility to address the aggregated impact of cytidine transporters, CDD, dCMP deaminase, and deoxycytidine kinase on EdC metabolism. Using this technique, we developed a quick and cheap method for the identification of cell lines exhibiting a lack of CDD activity. The data showed that in contrast to the cancer cells, all the non-cancer cells used in the study exhibited low, if any, CDD content and their cytidine deaminase activity can be exclusively attributed to dCMP deaminase. The technique also confirmed the importance of deoxycytidine kinase for dCas metabolism and indicated that dCMP deaminase can be fundamental in dCas deamination as well as CDD. Moreover, the described technique provides the possibility to perform the simultaneous testing of cytotoxicity and DNA replication activity.
Topics: Cytidine; DCMP Deaminase; Deoxycytidine Kinase; Deoxycytidine; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Cytidine Deaminase
PubMed: 37993628
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47792-4 -
The Journal of General Virology Jun 2003We have previously observed that the expression of two thymidylate biosynthesis enzymes, dihydrofolate reductase and thymidylate synthase (TS), is upregulated in...
We have previously observed that the expression of two thymidylate biosynthesis enzymes, dihydrofolate reductase and thymidylate synthase (TS), is upregulated in quiescent human fibroblasts infected with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). Here, we have demonstrated that HCMV increases expression of the cellular deoxycytidylate deaminase (dCMP deaminase), which provides the substrate for TS by converting dCMP to dUMP. We observed an increase in dCMP deaminase protein levels, whereas deoxyuridine triphosphatase (dUTPase), another cellular enzyme that may provide dUMP by hydrolysing dUTP, was undetectable. The essential requirement of cellular dCMP deaminase for productive HCMV replication was further emphasized by showing that a precursor of a potent dCMP deaminase inhibitor, zebularine, suppressed virus replication and DNA synthesis. These results suggest that HCMV exploits the host's dCMP deaminase activity to replicate in quiescent cells.
Topics: Cells, Cultured; Cytidine; Cytidine Deaminase; Cytomegalovirus; DNA, Viral; Enzyme Inhibitors; Humans; Interphase; Nucleoside Deaminases; Pyrimidine Nucleosides; Pyrophosphatases; Virus Replication
PubMed: 12771412
DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.18979-0 -
Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta. Proteins... Nov 2017The parasite Schistosoma mansoni possess all pathways for pyrimidine biosynthesis, whereby deaminases play an essential role in the thymidylate cycle, a crucial step to...
The parasite Schistosoma mansoni possess all pathways for pyrimidine biosynthesis, whereby deaminases play an essential role in the thymidylate cycle, a crucial step to controlling the ratio between cytidine and uridine nucleotides. In this study, we heterologously expressed and purified the deoxycytidylate (dCMP) deaminase from S. mansoni to obtain structural, biochemical and kinetic information. Small-angle X-ray scattering of this enzyme showed that it is organized as a hexamer in solution. Isothermal titration calorimetry was used to determine the kinetic constants for dCMP-dUMP conversion and the role of dCTP and dTTP in enzymatic regulation. We evaluated the metals involved in activating the enzyme and show for the first time the dependence of correct folding on the interaction of two metals. This study provides information that may be useful for understanding the regulatory mechanisms involved in the metabolic pathways of S. mansoni. Thus, improving our understanding of the function of these essential pathways for parasite metabolism and showing for the first time the hitherto unknown deaminase function in this parasite.
Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Binding Sites; Cations, Divalent; Crystallography, X-Ray; DCMP Deaminase; Deoxycytosine Nucleotides; Deoxyuracil Nucleotides; Gene Expression; Kinetics; Magnesium; Models, Molecular; Protein Binding; Protein Conformation, alpha-Helical; Protein Conformation, beta-Strand; Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs; Protein Multimerization; Protozoan Proteins; Recombinant Proteins; Schistosoma mansoni; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Substrate Specificity; Zinc
PubMed: 28807888
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2017.07.015 -
MSphere Aug 2019Cytidine deaminase (CDA) is a pyrimidine salvage enzyme that catalyzes cytidine and deoxycytidine hydrolytic deamination to yield uridine and deoxyuridine. Here we...
Cytidine deaminase (CDA) is a pyrimidine salvage enzyme that catalyzes cytidine and deoxycytidine hydrolytic deamination to yield uridine and deoxyuridine. Here we report the biochemical characterization of CDA as an enzyme within the tetrameric class of the CDA family that efficiently deaminates cytidine, deoxycytidine, and the nucleoside analogue 5-methyl-2'-deoxycytidine. In line with previous studies, we show that RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated CDA depletion impairs proliferation when grown in pyrimidine-deficient medium, while supplementation with thymidine or deoxyuridine restores growth, further underscoring the role of this enzyme in providing deoxyuridine for dUMP formation via thymidine kinase, the substrate required for thymidylate biosynthesis. This observation contrasts with the existence in of a dimeric deoxyuridine 5'-triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase (dUTPase), an essential enzyme that can produce dUMP via the hydrolysis of dUTP/dUDP. Thus, dUTPase-null mutants are thymidine auxotrophs, suggesting that dUTPase might have a role in providing dUMP for thymidylate biosynthesis. We show that overexpression of human dCMP deaminase (DCTD), an enzyme that provides directly dUMP through dCMP deamination, does not reverse the lethal phenotype of dUTPase knockout cells, which further supports the notion that in , CDA is uniquely involved in providing dUMP, while the main role of dUTPase would be the withdrawal of the excess of dUTP to avoid its incorporation into DNA. Furthermore, we report the mitochondrial localization of CDA, highlighting the importance of this organelle in pyrimidine metabolism. Cytidine deaminases (CDAs) catalyze the hydrolytic deamination of cytidine and deoxycytidine in the pyrimidine salvage pathway. In kinetoplastids, pyrimidine metabolism has been extensively studied as a source of potential drug targets, given the fact that many of the enzymes of the pathway are essential. Thymidylate (dTMP) synthesis in exhibits unique characteristics. Thus, it has been suggested that the production of dUMP, the substrate for dTMP formation, is solely dependent on cytidine deaminase and thymidine kinase. Here we characterize recombinant CDA (TbCDA) and present evidence that indeed the alternative route for dUMP formation via deoxyuridine 5'-triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase does not have a prominent role in dTMP formation. Furthermore, we provide a scheme for the compartmentalization of dTMP biosynthesis, taking into account the observation that CDA is located in the mitochondrion, together with available information on the intracellular localization of other enzymes involved in the dTTP biosynthetic pathway.
Topics: Cytidine Deaminase; DCMP Deaminase; Gene Knockdown Techniques; Humans; Kinetics; Protozoan Proteins; Pyrimidines; RNA Interference; Recombinant Proteins; Sequence Alignment; Thymidine Monophosphate; Thymine Nucleotides; Trypanosoma brucei brucei
PubMed: 31391279
DOI: 10.1128/mSphere.00374-19 -
Seminars in Hematology Jul 1991In summary, there are compelling laboratory and clinical data indicating that higher doses of ara-C than are currently used in SDaC protocols constitute optimal therapy.... (Review)
Review
In summary, there are compelling laboratory and clinical data indicating that higher doses of ara-C than are currently used in SDaC protocols constitute optimal therapy. The cellular pharmacokinetics of ara-C are optimized at extracellular drug concentrations in the 10 to 15 mumol/L range. At these concentrations, transport rates are no longer rate-limiting, and ara-C phosphorylation capacity is saturated. The prime determinants of ara-C effect then shift to multiple intracellular events including anabolism to nucleotides, catabolism via deamination by Cyd-dCyd deaminase and dCMP deaminase, half-life of ara-CTP, the extent of incorporation into DNA, and the half-life of ara-CMP residues in DNA. It is postulated that at these high doses an additional effect of ara-C occurs on the cell membrane through affects on membrane phospholipid synthesis. This effect may contribute to the brisk cell lysis associated with HiDaC treatment. When administered as repetitive doses of 3 g/m2 over a 1- to 3-hour period, systemic deamination of ara-C gives rise to high plasma concentrations of ara-U. This metabolite has a long plasma half-life and, at least in the mouse, is concentrated in the liver and kidneys. High concentrations in these organs retard the further catabolism of ara-C and thus increase the systemic AUC providing a longer exposure period to the drug. A similar mechanism may obtain in patients treated with HiDaC. The observed decreased clearance of ara-C when administered in gram versus milligram doses and the long-terminal gamma-phase in plasma clearance of the drug associated with HiDaC usage quite probably reflects this effect of ara-U in patients. Additionally, by some as yet unknown mechanism, high concentrations of ara-U cause accumulation of leukemia cells in S-phase, the phase of the cell cycle wherein ara-C is maximally effective. This effect of ara-U may add to the cytokinetic effects initiated by rapid cytoreduction, which summate in the observed enhancement of the proliferative fraction of residual leukemia cells on day 8. The effect of a second course of therapy at this time is thereby enhanced. These dose-related and metabolite-drug interactions that occur when ara-C is given at high doses constitute a means for "self-potentiation" and may thus contribute to its overall therapeutic efficacy.
Topics: Animals; Cytarabine; DNA, Neoplasm; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Humans; Leukemia; Remission Induction
PubMed: 1780754
DOI: No ID Found -
The Journal of Biological Chemistry Jun 1993The cDNA encoding human dCMP deaminase was isolated from a lambda ZAPII expression library using an antibody generated against highly purified HeLa cell dCMP deaminase....
The cDNA encoding human dCMP deaminase was isolated from a lambda ZAPII expression library using an antibody generated against highly purified HeLa cell dCMP deaminase. The cloned cDNA consists of 1856 base pairs and encodes a protein of 178 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 19,985 daltons. The sequence of several cyanogen bromide-cleaved peptides derived from HeLa cell dCMP deaminase are all contained within the deduced amino acid sequence. A zinc binding region is present in the enzyme, similar to that reported for cytidine deaminase (Yang, E. C., Carlow, D., Wolfenden, R., and Short, S. A. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 4168-4174). Northern blot analysis revealed a predominant messenger RNA species of 1.9 kilobases. Expression of the active protein to about 10% of Escherichia coli's total protein was achieved by subcloning the open reading frame into a high expression system using the polymerase chain reaction. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a prominent protein band which comigrated with affinity purified HeLa dCMP deaminase, while Western blot analysis yielded an immunoreactive band which comigrated with the single immunoreactive affinity column purified dCMP deaminase band. The enzyme which possesses a kcat of 1.02 x 10(3) s-1 was purified to homogeneity in over 60% yield. The overexpression of dCMP deaminase should permit more exacting studies on the regulation of this important allosteric enzyme which provides substrate for DNA synthesis.
Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Bacteriophage T4; Base Sequence; Blotting, Northern; Cloning, Molecular; DCMP Deaminase; DNA; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Escherichia coli; Gene Expression; HeLa Cells; Humans; Kinetics; Molecular Sequence Data; Molecular Weight; Poly A; RNA; RNA, Messenger; Recombinant Proteins; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
PubMed: 7685356
DOI: No ID Found -
The Journal of Biological Chemistry Feb 1993Deoxycytidylate (dCMP) deaminase, a hexameric allosteric enzyme induced on infection of Escherichia coli by bacteriophage T4, was shown to contain two atoms of zinc per...
Deoxycytidylate (dCMP) deaminase, a hexameric allosteric enzyme induced on infection of Escherichia coli by bacteriophage T4, was shown to contain two atoms of zinc per subunit by atomic absorption spectroscopy. One zinc appears to be involved in catalysis, as described for adenosine deaminase (Sharaff, A. J., Wilson, D. K., Chang, Z., and Quiocho, F. A. (1992) J. Mol. Biol. 226, 917-921) and cytidine deaminase (Yang, C., Carlow, D., Wolfenden, R., and Short, S. A. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 4168-4174). This thesis is supported by the finding that the enzyme loses about 80% of its activity in the presence of o-phenanthroline. It has also been found that zinc is released when the enzyme is denatured in the presence of the metallochromic indicator, 4-(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol. Renaturation of the deaminase to an active form occurred in the presence but not in the absence of zinc. The second atom of zinc is proposed to be located in a region of T4-dCMP deaminase that resembles a zinc finger. This region, which has the sequence His-X3-Cys-X14-His-X3-His, would represent a zinc-binding motif that has not been described previously.
Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Binding Sites; DCMP Deaminase; Metalloproteins; Molecular Sequence Data; Phenanthrolines; Protein Denaturation; Spectrophotometry, Atomic; T-Phages; Viral Proteins; Zinc; Zinc Fingers
PubMed: 8428902
DOI: No ID Found